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Terminal cadence

Sound
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

The concluding rhythmic or melodic pattern at the end of a line or stanza, often signaling closure through stress, pause, or rhyme.

Detailed Definition
Terminal cadence is the rhythmic and sonic resolution at a poem’s close, often marked by a full stop, falling intonation, or conclusive rhyme; it provides formal closure and emotional finality, signaling the end of the poetic utterance and shaping the reader’s reflective afterimage.
Example
Example in poetry:
Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18 ends with terminal cadence: “So long lives this, and this gives life to thee”; John Keats’ “Ode on a Grecian Urn” closes with terminal cadence: “Beauty is truth, truth beauty”; Emily Dickinson’s “Because I could not stop for Death” uses terminal cadence in eternity’s pause; W.H. Auden’s “Funeral Blues” ends with terminal cadence: “For nothing now can ever come to any good.”
Additional Notes
Terminal cadence is the rhythmic and emotional close of a poem—often a slowing or resolution; marked by punctuation, rhyme, or repetition; crucial for final impression; analyze how sound supports meaning at the end.
Also Known As
Final cadence Closing rhythm Terminal pause Conclusive beat final closure sentence-ending cadence
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